(Belated) Nalu Fluff Week 2016
by zerophelia
Summary: Fairy Tail Hospital AU. Natsu unexpectedly gives Lucy flowers. The two discover all they need for a first date is a starry night. Cuddling cures overthinking. Natsu ends Fantasia with a bang. BONUS: Jude shows up at his daughters wedding, uninvited. Note: This is my first fan fiction, and everything I learned about hospitals I learned from Scrubs. NALU
1. Flowers

Fluorescent lights pour over the halls of Fairy Tail Advanced Medical Center as a delivery man stalks his way towards the doors, clipboard in hand. Back at the reception desk, a beautiful woman with long white hair is busy gossiping with a purple-haired cafeteria worker, paying no mind the the parcel that was just delivered. A few nurses and other staff had stopped at the desk, listening intently to the rumors spilling out of the excited pale-headed woman's mouth. Unfortunately for them, a tall, beautiful surgeon with long red hair tied back in a ponytail had just trudged up to the group, hands on her hips and a vein threatening to pop in her forehead.

"Ah hem!" The redhead cleared her throat loudly, gaining the attention of the whole crowd. Expressions laced with dread painted the faces of everyone but the receptionist, who simply smiled. "Need I remind you that you are at your place of work, not a high school ladies room?" The surgeon spoke up, causing the crowd to scatter and return to their jobs.

"Aw. Erza, come on. You can't tell me you aren't at least a little interested in gossip." The white-haired woman smiled innocently, "Elfman and Evergreen were found in the janitor's closet together!"

"The relationships of others is no business of mine, Mirajane." Erza stopped herself there before her expression pulled a 180 and she was nearly jumping off the ground with excitement, "Wait! Do you think they will get married!? Ah, what a beautiful wedding that would be. I hope I can be a bridesmaid. What color pallette do you think they will use? Knowing Ever it will be green..." Erza continued her excited rant, her voice reaching such high decibels with glee no one could understand a word she was saying. Mirajane simply laughed at how easily the no-nonsense surgeon could change expression. Erza was brought out of her trance when she noticed the item left by the delivery man sitting on the the top counter of Mirajane's reception station. Having seen enough of that particular kind of box at her workplace before, she asked, "Did a patient recieve a flower delivery?"

"Huh?" Mirajane asked, still obviously focused on her latest piece of gossip. "Oh, yeah. Those were just dropped off about ten minutes ago." She reached over to the box and looked at the label for a recipient. "It says they are to be delivered to Michelle Lobster." Mirajane's brow furrowed as the turned to her computer, looking over the patient list. "That's strange. I don't think we have a patient by that name."

"Sounds like a fake name if you ask me." Erza and Mirajane turned in the direction of the smooth male voice, eyes falling on a lean, muscular frame. His black hair was pulled back by his surgeon's cap and his dark blue eyes matched the scrubs of the blue-haired nurse who followed closely behind him, leaving little, if any, personal space.

"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama." The slender woman tailing the man now known to be Gray spoke up, "Juvia thinks this is some sort of prank." The group was startled as a red and pink blur zoomed through the hallway to meet them at reception. Juvia wrapped her body tightly around Gray in fright. The boy's face paled and went blank, body going rigid as he was torn between fear of impact and embarrassment that the beautiful woman was so close to him.

"WHAT'S A PRANK?" The blur spoke as it paused to reveal a fit man wearing red scrubs and a red surgeon's cap over pink locks of hair. His dark eyes glinted with giddiness at the mere thought of a prank. Gray's body relaxed a returned to giving off the usual air of nonchalance when he saw his workplace rival standing in front of him. Juvia, however, did not let go of him until he shook her off.

"Just some flowers, Natsu. The name of the recipient doesn't match any of our patients." Mira explained.

"Flowers?" Natsu thought aloud, "Pfft, that's a stupid prank!" His bottom lip jutted out into a pout, posture curving as he brought his arms together over his chest.

"Better than anything you've ever done, flame brain." Gray spoke up.

"What! My pranks are awesome!" Natsu's excitement surged, thinking about the kinds of pranks he would pull on his coworkers.

"Please, pyro. All of your pranks end in disaster." Gray's voice was slightly muffled as he pulled his grey scrub shirt over his head.

"You're just jealous stipper, wanna go!?" Natsu's forehead slammed into Gray's, pushing out his chest, fists clenched tightly and ready to be thrown.

"Fire dork!"

"Ice princess!"

"Squinty eyes!"

"Droopy eyes!"

"ENOUGH!" This time it was Erza who spoke up, glaring at the pair with her eyes hiding behind her bangs. "There will be no fights while on duty." She explained through clenched teeth.

"AYE SIR!" The pair of surgeons shouted in unison, arms wrapped around each other in a forced hug.

"Gray, you might want to find your shirt." Mirajane pipped up, pointing to Gray's chest, covered only by the cross pendant he wears under his scrubs. Gray looked around the immediate area with panic until Juvia's small hand extended towards him, offering him the article he had lost without noticing.

"What are you going to do with the bouquet, Mira?" Erza steered the conversation back on track.

"I don't know, I mean I guess someone can just take it home." Mira opened the box to reveal the simple arrangement of pink roses.

"I WANT THEM." The group turned to Natsu with shocked expressions, the same thought running through all of their heads: _What would Natsu want with flowers?_ No one could ignore the look of determination in his eye, they all knew there was no denying him. Mira's look of shock soon shifted into a knowing smile.

"Alright, Natsu." The receptionist handed the box over to him while the others still stood in disbelief.

"YOSHH!" Natsu triumphantly thrust both hands up in the air as he made his victory walk down the hallway. He turned into the staff room where he secured the flowers in his locker until the end of his shift.

Later that evening a tired blonde dressed in light pink scrubs under a white medical coat is standing in the hallway of an apartment building, fiddling with her keys to unlock the door in front of her. Stepping into her small apartment, she sighs as she discovers lights on in nearly every room. A small blue feline races to greet her, rubbing up against her legs before stretching paws upward against her thigh, begging to be fed. She drops her purse and key ring on the small table by the door before bending down and welcoming the cat into her arms.

"Natsu, if you and Happy were going to barge into my apartment and make a mess, you could have at least fed him before I got off a double shift." She rolled her eyes at her friend's carelessness, but a small smile creeped its way onto her lips. She turned to walk out of the small living room and into the kitchen to the fridge. After removing a raw fish from its wrappings, she placed it on a plate and offered the meal to Happy. He purred in satisfaction as he devoured his dinner. Just then, the blonde woman felt her stomach rumble. She looked around the kitchen to find an easy meal when she saw a note on her oven door.

 _Dinner is in the oven._

She opened the oven door, surprised to find a plate of lo mein sitting on the rack, still warm. Although the presentation may lead one to believe the dish was homemade, she knew better. She removed the plate from the oven, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and made her way to the small dining table in the living room. She attacked her meal like an animal, too hungry and stressed from her long shift at the hospital to care about taking her time. At this point Happy had finished his meal and jumped up next to her on the table and laid down. "Damn cat..." She whispered as she attempted to shoo him off her furniture. Once Happy moved, she found a second note under his fish-filled body. She picked it up and read it as she went to deposit her plate in the sink.

 _Your bath has been drawn._

Confusion painted the blonde's face as she left the kitchen and made her way to the bathroom located in a small hallway. "Why would he make me a bath... I mean dinner is one thing..." Her voice trailed off as the opened the bathroom door and found the tub filled with warm soapy water. "How is it still warm?" Her jaw dropped when she noticed her bath pillow already in its place waiting for her, along with her book of the week sitting on the floor- grabbing distance from the tub- next to a towel. However, none of this compared to the shock of finding her favorite red silk pajamas hanging from the back of the bathroom door.

At this point the blonde could not believe what, she assumes, her best friend has done for her. She turned out of the bathroom and searched her entire apartment, but Natsu was nowhere to be found. She shrugged as she walked back to the full tub. "I guess I'll find out soon enough if I play along." She quickly stripped off the scrubs she was sick of wearing and settled against her bath pillow, ready to lose herself in her book.

After a few chapters the water grew cold and she decided it was time to leave the tub. She drained the water and washed her hair, letting the warmth officially rinse the stress of the day down the drain. Once out of the shower, she ran a comb through her wet hair and looked at herself in the mirror. "Wow, I somehow look less tired," she remarked. She reached for the red silk pajamas hanging on the bathroom, appreciating how smooth and refreshing they feel after a nice bath. Behind them on the door hung is a third note. She read it, dressed, and exited the bathroom.

 _I have a question for you._

"Natsu?" She calls out to her best friend as she looks down the small hallway to her living room and kitchen area. Turning her head in the opposite direction she notices light illuminating the small crack of her bedroom door. She takes a step forward, turning the handle slowly before she pushes the door to open wide in front of her. Her breath catches in her throat and her hands instinctively clutch at her heart as the takes in the view of pink rose petals covering her bed. She steps closer to inspect the shape they are laid out in and tears prick at the back of her eyes as she reads the words they spell out.

 _Lucy, be mine?_

The blonde is frozen in her place staring at the question posed in front of her. Natsu peeks out from behind her bedroom door and takes a step closer to her. No longer in scrubs, he's sporting a dark red t-shirt and black jeans, a scaly scarf wrapped around his neck. His pink hair is no longer restrained by a surgeon cap, but is spiked wildly in every direction. On his face is a wide smile, and in his hands is a single pink rose.

"Lucy..." He begins, her whole body snaps to face his, still frozen and speechless. "I've known you for a while now, and for a while now I've known that I love you." The tears threatening to fall from her eyes began to slip out. "Fear is the only thing that kept me from telling you sooner, fear that you wouldn't feel the same, and that our friendship wouldn't survive my confession... Stupid, really." He let out a nervous laugh. "I think this is the only thing I've ever been scared of. But I can't hold it in anymore. I need to take the risk." Natsu reached out and grabbed Lucy's hand. "I love you, Lucy Heartfilia. I want you to be mine." He punctuated his confession with a wide smile that threatened to split his face in two.

Lucy reached her other hand up to his face. Her heart was beating against her chest like a drum. "Natsu..." She swallowed her tears and a light laugh left her chest. "You idiot." Natsu's smile faded and confusion flashed upon his face as Lucy pulled herself against him quickly, her head resting on his chest in a hug. He pouted and struggled to wait for her to continue. Lucy lifted her head, standing on tiptoes to whisper in his ears, "I've always been yours."

Natsu wasted no time in putting his lips on hers. Happy found his way into the room and rubbed against the legs of the couple, purring as if to say " _they liiiiike each other"._

The next day Lucy arrived for her shift at the hospital in her maroon scrubs, white doctor's coat slung around her arm. Her hair hung down around her shoulders with a few tendrils tucked behind her ear where they were held in place by the company of a pink rose. She was humming happily to herself as she passed the reception desk. "Good morning, Lucy." Mira chirped with a smile, noticing the blonde's current mood as well as the flower behind her ear. "Did Natsu give you flowers yesterday?" The blonde flushed at the receptionist's remark, hurrying away and uttering a silent prayer that she could escape the gossiping woman's demonic wrath.


	2. Starry Night

Lucy's morning at the hospital had gone from bad to worse. She had attempted to go to the gym before work but had forgotten to bring her scrubs with her. She was forced to run home and change causing her to be a good half hour late for the day. The Chief of Medicine, Makarov, had then forced her to assist the lab in testing urine samples as part of some kind of sick punishment game. The only upside was this meant she would get to spend part of her day with her best friend, Levy.

Levy's specialty was testing. She could read bodily humors as if they were a language. She was a very petite woman with shoulder length blue hair secured with a headband and orange scrubs hidden beneath a lab coat. Her crew in testing was a pair of very competitive young men named Jet and Droy. They often fought fruitlessly for Levy's affections, but always left the girls alone when there was something Levy and Lucy needed to discuss.

"So Natsu is taking you out tonight, right?" Levy asked her friend with a wink as she inspected the coloring of a test strip.

"Shhhh. Levy! I told you I don't want to talk about it at work! You know how crazy people around here are!" Lucy shushed her friend, but to no avail.

"Oh, come on Lu-Chan. It's just us in the lab. Jet and Droy don't care about your romantic life, right boys?"

"Not unless she's trying to steal you away!" Jet replied with a wink. This caused Droy to punch Jet's shoulder, uttering something about how Levy would never choose the orange haired male over himself. Levy just giggled at their antics.

"So where is he taking you, Lu?" Levy asked, returning her attention to her best female friend.

"We have a reservation at 8 Island at 7 pm." Lucy answered Levy's question while dipping a test strip into a small vial of urine. "I think this is a UTI." Levy inspected the test strip Lucy handed her and nodded, jotting the result down on a sheet of paper. "Honestly, who knew Natsu even knew how to make reservations."

"From what you described about how he asked you out, he does sound much more romantic than I would have pegged him to be." Levy replied.

"Honestly, Levy-chan, it kind of scares me." Lucy let out an exasperated sigh as she continued working with more samples. "I mean, I just feel like he'll get bored. Romance doesn't seem like him, but here he is making it happen just for me. As flattering as that is, what will happen when he gets sick of doing these gestures or we settle into a routine... things get more calm and simple... What will happen when we lose our excitement?"

"Lu-chan, listen to you. You haven't even officially gone on a first date and your already overthinking about what will happen when you get out of the honeymoon phase. I don't think you need to be worried. That boy cares about you so much. He would do anything to see you smile."

Lucy tried to believe what Levy said, but she couldn't help the doubts that swam through her mind. She knew Natsu. She knew he loved thrill-seeking and adventure. He had once told her that is why he became a surgeon. Each patient was a new problem to be fixed in a finite matter of time. The thrill of having someone's life in his hands made him feel like a hero. Like he was searching out the wrongs of the world and extracting them in a way that only he could, working off instinct to cut out the evil. Man could he dramatize situations. She couldn't deny that was what she loved about him. His adventure-seeking imagination. However, it wasn't something she could relate to.

As an oncologist, Lucy's job was less like an adventure. At the most she would say it was a journey. Someone would come to her as if they were lost in a dark forest with danger looming at every corner. All she could do was try to guide them out of the forest and hopefully back to a peaceful meadow. It was a long and tiring journey, and it was hard for her to watch her patients endure so much hardship and pain. The path she tracked out for each patient was well thought out and meticulous. Nothing was ever done on a whim. No matter what happened, she always made sure her smile was warm and her disposition was cheerful, even if her heart was breaking. She knew those who came to her had enough gloom.

Lucy knew she wasn't spontaneous. Everything in her life had always been planned out. She couldn't cope with uncertainty very well. She didn't do too much outside of work. Her adventures were sought after through black ink on a white page. Her fear was that Natsu would grow tired of her routined life. Grow tired of her. She wanted to be enough for him. She truly admired his spontaneous spirit. She just hoped some of it would rub off on her.

Today was a particularly hard day to be in Lucy's shoes because one of her patients was not doing so well. Karen Lilica was only a few years older than Lucy, and despite the horrible sibling rivalry she had with her brother and sister, Lucy really had a heart for her. Karen was an astrologist, one who happened to believe the stars were gateways to special power, even to one's past or future. Karen had been staying at Fairy Tail Advanced Medical Center for a few weeks now, suffering from a terrible cancer that was slowly draining her life force. Lucy prided herself on having great relationships with her patients and would often spend her lunch breaks at their sides. Today she ate with Karen and listened as the older woman told her all about astrology. Karen explained to Lucy her theories on astrology, and what she believes happens to human souls when their bodies die.

Lucy listened intently, but she could tell Karen was not holding up well and urged her to save her strength. This only caused Karen to prod Lucy with questions, asking for stories about the blonde's life. Lucy told her about her mother, a beautiful woman who died of a rare cancer, and Lucy's inspiration for choosing the medical field instead of join her father's company. She told her a silly story about the doll she had as a child, which she had named Gonzales for reasons she could not remember. Lucy also told her about Natsu, how they met at medical school and became instant friends and now they were about to go on a date after all this time. She kept talking until Karen fell asleep and Lucy's lunch break was over.

Strange enough, Karen's younger brother, Loke, actually worked with Lucy on the oncology floor of FTAMC. He was just stopping by to check in with his sister when, much to Lucy's chagrin, Loke had overheard Lucy admit to dating Natsu and now wouldn't leave her alone about it. Loke was the playboy doctor type, and would constantly try his efforts at flirting with Lucy. He occasionally called her his work wife, his goddess, or his princess. As irritating as she found his behavior, she knew he was just messing around. He followed her through the halls of the oncology floor, teasing her all the way.

"My princess!" Loke pinned dramatically, "How could you do this to me!"

"Shut up, Loke..." Lucy was not in the mood for his antics today.

"But how could you ever reject me for that... that..."

"What, Loke?"

"I don't know... toddler?" He shrugged, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Natsu is not a toddler." She pouted.

"Lucy, the other day he got all excited because the gift shop started selling stuffed dragons. He wouldn't shut up about it." He looked at her with a flat expression.

"So? He's not a toddler. He just... likes... dragons..." Lucy tried to say that as if it wasn't a weak defense.

"Lucy..." Loke stopped walking and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn to him. His tone had suddenly gone serious. "I just don't want him to hurt you. He just doesn't seem smart enough for a girl like you, or serious enough for a real relationship." Lucy froze in response to his words but tried not to show any signs that she might share the same concerns. She felt Loke wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. "Besides, only a brave knight deserves a princess." Lucy could feel the smirk planted on Loke's face. That is about the point that she gave the flirty male a nice Lucy Kick to the groin. He fell over onto the floor with tears in his eyes, laughing at his own fake attempt to sway her affections.

The rest of Lucy's appointments for the day had gone smoothly. She had attempted to visit Karen again before she left for the day but she was sleeping. The blonde was hopeful that the next day would bring better things for her patient. Taking the elevator to the first floor, she excitedly turned her thoughts to her plans for the evening. Her big date with Natsu. The energetic surgeon met her by the front doors at five when their shifts ended and walked with her to her apartment, refusing to take the bus. Natsu had jogged to work that morning and could not be in a vehicle he did not drive without getting sick. After dropping her off, he made his way home to shower and prepare for their reservations.

Lucy showered and rummaged through her closet for the little black dress she had been dying to wear since she bought it months earlier. It had a simple design, black with white lace lining the inside of the scoop neckline leading to a white bow between her breasts, with more lace following along her ribcage and the bottom of the hem. A white belt was added to accent her hips, causing the fabric to hug tighter to her curves. Her hair was fixed up into a bun, ends fanning out to crown her head, a few soft tendrils left in the front framed her face. She was all ready to impress that hunky best friend of hers... though she figured they were more than best friends now.

Natsu picked her up in his vintage red convertible. His father had left it to him when he died, along with the white and black scaly scarf that was tied around his neck every second of every day- as long as he wasn't in the operating room, of course. Tonight it was wrapped around the collar of a blood red button down shirt, which trailed down to a pair of black dress pants. They arrived at 8 Island around 6:45, thanks to Lucy's- usual- habit of being extremely punctual. They were forced to wait in line until their reservation was ready. Despite the romantic atmosphere, Natsu was his same happy-go-lucky self. On the way there he had told Lucy about the fight he and Gray had gotten into during surgery earlier that day. Lucy laughed so hard she snorted as Natsu described Erza's menacing expression in great detail. In the end he still maintains he won the fight even though it had been broken up.

Natsu's expression got real serious as he wrapped his arms tightly around Lucy, holding her close to his chest. At first she was flustered that were here so many people around but if he didn't care, neither would she. "I missed you during lunch today, Luce." He whispered the words into her ear. She couldn't help but notice the immense heat radiating off his body. She closed her eyes and snuggled into him. "It was so boring without you." Lucy's eyes flew open, betraying her inner panic at hearing him say that word. _Boring._ Even with it being followed by the sentiment _without you_ , Lucy couldn't help but be reminded of how easily Natsu gets bored.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Lucy was left with no time to overthink before her beeper started going off frantically. Natsu stepped away from her and let out an a sigh as she removed the small device from her purse along with her phone. The small screen read, "911" followed by the number of the FTAMC oncology floor. She wasted no time in pulling the number up on her phone and hitting the call button.

"Lucy?" The voice of Lucy's assistant Virgo was frantic and out of breath. Hinting at a true emergency.

"What's going on Virgo? What's wrong?" Lucy was filled with a new kind of panic. Natsu was staring at her intensely, trying to the read the conversation through Lucy's facial expressions.

"It... It's Karen." Lucy's eyes widened with dread at Virgo's words. Natsu stiffened, immediately catching that the situation was serious. Virgo continued, "We need you to come down here. We're losing her Lucy... Loke is the only doctor in tonight but you know he can't deal with this alone. Do you think you could finish his shift?"

"Reservation for Dragneel, your table is ready." The maitre d' called for the pair near the entrance, but neither moved a muscle. Lucy was torn between so many emotions. Disappointment, fear, sorrow, compassion. She looked into Natsu's eyes apologetically.

"I'll be right there, Virgo." She hung up the phone. "Natsu, I'm really sorry but I can't do this tonight, I have to go. I need to get to the hospital. It's... It's..." Lucy trailed off, trying not to break into sobs.

"It's okay, Luce, there will be other nights. Lemme drive you over, okay?" Natsu wrapped an arm around her and led her back over to the car. She silently sobbed into his shoulder as he sat her in the passenger's seat. In the distance they could hear the maitre d' calling out " _Dragneel, party of two, last call..."_

Lucy was thankful Natsu had let her cry the entire drive to the hospital. Not that it was far, Mongolia wasn't that big of a city. But it gave her the time necessary to get her emotions in check. He stayed with her until they reached Karen's suite and remained just outside the door, trying to offer Lucy any form of silent support possible. Walking into Karen's room in the patient's wing of the oncology floor, Lucy couldn't help but feel embarrassed that she was still in her date attire, but she pushed it aside to go straight to business. Unfortunately by the time she got there, there wasn't much left to do. The oncology staff was well trained, and a case like Karen's left little to be done. All that was left now was for Karen to say her goodbyes to her family.

Even with all the drama going on, it was hard not to notice that Karen and Loke had an odd family. Their sister Aries was a pale, skittish girl with fluffy pink curls, strange considering the straight green hair Karen had before her chemo and Loke's spiky orange hair. Their parents were something else. Their father, Rex, lived up to his name. He was very regal looking, but his most grabbing feature was the long, white moustache that seemed to spill right out of his nostrils. Their mother, Bobbie, was hardly noticeable as a woman. Probably because she was bald and her voice was on the masculine side. She was a rather large woman, and the outfit she wore was the most horrid shade of bright pink. It made Lucy wonder if the woman was compensating for something.

Lucy listened as Karen and her family swapped heartfelt words in her last moments. She wished she could say this was the first or even second time she was forced to witness such a melancholy situation. In spite of her tragedic lot, Lucy couldn't help but think that Karen seemed to speak without any fear as she consoled her already grieving family. It was almost like she knew this was going to happen. As Karen took her last breath she smiled, eyes closing, welcoming her ascent into the great unknown. _Into the stars._

Lucy had the unfortunate task of reporting the time of death, but she didn't rush the family out. She was going to let them have a few more hours to take in the reality of Karen's eternal slumber. Aries sat in a chair sobbing into her hands. Rex and Bobbie were hugging each other tightly. Loke seemed to be taking it hardest. He was on his knees at the foot of Karen's bed clutching her blanket and screaming her name over and over. Lucy walked over and knelt beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. His hands fell to his eyes, removing his glasses and wiping the steady stream of tears away as best he could. "It's all my fault," He repeated over and over. "I killed her. What's the point in being a damned doctor, anyway?"

"Loke, shhh." Lucy wrapped her arms around her friend in an effort to console him. Her heart broke for him. His body shook as he sobbed against her shoulder. "You did not kill her. You did all you could do. Karen knows this. She also knew it was her time. She had to be taken back up into the stars. She was too bright for this world." Loke backed away from Lucy's embrace and nodded. "You shouldn't let Aries be alone over there," Lucy said, pointing with her eyes to the chair she had eaten her lunch in earlier that day. Aries now sat there, trying her best not to fall apart. Loke nodded once more before he rose and walked over to sit with his remaining sister.

Lucy doesn't know when Natsu had left. Lucy's heart stuttered in pain for a second, thinking he got bored, but she quickly shoved the issue aside. After Loke went to join Aries, she left the room to allow the family to be alone. She found Virgo in her office, where she had pulled out Lucy's spare white coat and name badge. "I hope you don't mind taking over the rest of Loke's shift tonight. I know you were supposed to have a big date with Natsu." Lucy glared over at the woman sitting at her desk. "Big Brother told me." Virgo replied with a small smirk, using her special nickname for Loke. "At least you only have to stay til 11 and not over night."

"Yeah," Lucy replied, "I don't mind. There is no way I would force Loke to work after losing his sister."

"Are you going to be okay, though?" Virgo asked, voice laced with concern, "I know you were close with Karen. And this doesn't exactly bring up good memories for you."

"I'm fine, Virgo. After all these years I've developed a new perspective on death that helps me cope. My heart just aches for those who are left grieving. I liked Karen because she understood." Lucy paused for a moment with a look in her eye that made Virgo think perhaps Lucy's mind wasn't in the room with them, "She understood that in the end, every star has to return to the sky."

A knock on the office door brought Lucy back into the moment. Lucy turned around and found herself smiling. Natsu peaked his head in, hands full with a travel cup of coffee and a box of donuts. Virgo hopped up from the seat and grabbed the door, officially letting the pink haired male in. He placed the cup and box of donuts on the desk before pulling Lucy in for a big hug, kissing her forehead. "I already dropped a few cups of coffee and a box of donuts off with Loke and his family. This cup here is for you. I also got you a dozen vanilla iced donuts with sprinkles. Your favorite." Always on cue, Lucy's stomach grumbled at his words and broke free from his embrace to reach for the donuts.

"Thank you so much! You're the be-" Lucy stopped and and turned to look accusingly at Natsu, "There are only three donuts in here, Natsu." Her boyfriend bowed his head sheepishly.

"Yeah... Well... We didn't have dinner..." Natsu conceded his guilt. Lucy picked up a donut and giggled before giving Natsu a quick peck on the lips that instantly turned his expression into a triumphant smile.

"Thank you. This was very thoughtful. I'm sorry that we didn't get our date tonight, and now they need me to stay to finish Loke's shift." She took a large bite of her donut and relished in the sweet taste before gulping down a mouthful of piping hot coffee.

"It's okay Luce! Your job is important. It's only a few more hours. I'll pick you up, alright? Besides, I think that metalhead bastard is down in the OR tonight and I was thinking about going down there and messing with him."

Lucy laughed before scaring him out the door with her best Erza impression.

Natsu picked Lucy up at 11 like promised. Or rather, he met her back at her office after spending the last few hours playing pranks on a not-too-happy Gajeel. Of course this only led Gajeel to harass Natsu about his date with Lucy. How Gajeel knew, Natsu had no clue. Lucy was simply relieved to be going home, and happy to report that the rest of her night had been rather calm. She removed her coat and badge before walking out the door, slipping her hand into Natsu's as they walked down the hall to the elevator. Not being a big fan of elevators, Natsu stood behind Lucy, holding her close and resting his head on her shoulder. "Did I get a chance to tell you how beautiful you look tonight?" The words were muffled by his lips on her shoulder, but they made her blush nonetheless.

Lucy relied on Natsu's natural warmth as they walked out to his car. She hadn't intended to be out this late in something that offered so little warmth. Lucy closed her eyes and let Natsu lead her. She couldn't wait to get home and crawl into bed. Little did she know, Natsu had different plans. Natsu stopped walking just a few feet away from his vehicle, causing Lucy to open her eyes. She couldn't believe what was in front of her. Not only had this incredibly caring man brought her coffee and donuts at work tonight, but he laid out a late night candlelit pizza picnic on the hood of his car.

"Natsu... wow." She was speechless. The pink haired surgeon smiled from ear to ear as he took her hand and led her over to the hood of the car, opening a box of pizza and handing her a slice.

"I really wanted to have that date, Luce." Lucy was stunned. Her best friend had been dishing out surprise after surprise ever since he had confessed his love for her a few weeks earlier. Not that he hadn't been thoughtful in the past. He was always saving her skin and cheering her up. She had noticed some of his actions bordered on romantic, but didn't think he had meant them that way until he confessed to her. During her first summer in Magnolia she had been too sick to attend the local flower festival. She had been looking forward to it for months. After sleeping in bed all day, she only woke up once in the evening. Almost as if fate had designed it, the moment she looked out the window that night she saw an unmanned hot air balloon with a basket made out of beautiful flowers float by her Strawberry Street window. No one had to tell her that Natsu had hijacked it in the hopes that she would get a glimpse of the festivities. She still doesn't know how he got away with it.

Natsu moved the blanket, candles, and pizza box off the hood of the car and down to a nearby patch of grass. From the back seat of his car he tossed out a few pillows and another blanket. Lucy quickly caught on and made herself comfortable at their new picnic spot, tossing the spare blanket over her shoulders. After finishing off all but the two slices Lucy ate, Natsu laid his head back against a pillow and closed his eyes. Lucy stared at him for a moment before making a decision. If he could be bold in his actions, she could be bold with her words. Instead of letting her mind boil over with worry, Lucy decided to put a voice to it.

"Natsu... are you bored?" She asked the still man lying next to her.

"Bored? No. I'm happy." He replied matter-of-factly, a satisfied smile perking up his lips. Lucy wasn't completely satisfied with his answer.

"I mean, isn't this date a little low key for you? Wouldn't you rather be out doing something exciting?"

"Hmm..." His brow furrowed thoughtfully, "Nope... I mean maybe I wish Happy were here."

"But... You know me. I'm a homebody. If we were to keep doing dates like this, or even just lounging around my apartment, don't you think you would get bored of me?"

Natsu sat up and opened his eyes to look at the woman he loved. He couldn't believe anyone would ever suggest he would get bored of her. She was too entertaining. Even now, watching the way she was all flustered at speaking her mind made him smile. All he could think about was his never-ending need to show her how much she means to him. Silly Luigi was always overthinking, just like the day they met. Maybe this once he should do something about it. Explain to her with words instead of his usual actions. He laughed at her gaping eyes as she waited for his response.

"You're such a weirdo, Luce. How could I ever get bored of someone as entertaining as you?" She looked at him like she didn't know how to feel. He chuckled again before looking off into the sky, his arms moving behind him to brace his slanted posture. "I know I can be energetic. I like to do things, have adventures. Fight, prank, and tease. But I don't need that stuff all of the time. And you certainly don't need it all of the time either." Lucy's eyes were stuck to his face. He reached a hand out to clasp her's, shifting his weight slightly before lowering his head to meet her gaze. "Look at the kinds of things you dealt with today. Each person you meet with, you know their journey will end one of two ways. You stick with them until the last time they leave that hospital, dead or alive. I can't imagine being that connected with each of my patients. It sounds exhausting." Natsu squeezed her hand when he noticed tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't worry about that silly idea that I could ever get bored of you, Luce. I don't always need adventure. I just need you." The words hardly escaped his mouth before she attack-hugged him, causing both of them to fall back against the pillow. His lips softly found hers before they snuggled into each other on the blanket, staring up at the sky. Magnolia's sky was always filled with stars at night. But tonight was different. Tonight a comet decided to quickly dash across the dark canvas of the night like a winking eye. Lucy couldn't help but think of Karen.

"Natsu, what do you think happens to us when we die?"

"I don't know. My dad used to tell me that our souls would return to the starry night."


	3. Cuddling

Natsu laid still on the small mattress of the Fairy Tail Advanced Medical Center on-call room. Man, had he drawn the short straw tonight. After a long 6 hours in the OR listening to Gray and Gajeel go on and on about stupid shit during surgery, Natsu was stuck on-call for the night. Being on-call wasn't all bad. As long as he wasn't needed to perform any emergency surgeries he was able to sleep in a small, dark room just outside of the emergency wing. Unfortunately, sleep was rather difficult with the fluorescent lights spilling in under the crack of the door, and the high pitched noises of various medical technology pricking at your ears. Tonight, it wasn't the incessant beeping keeping Natsu awake, but the words of his fellow surgeons racking up anger and worry in his brain.

Natsu was sick of listening to those bastards lecture him about his relationship. Like they could talk! Stupid Lug Nuts was too scared to admit to a certain petite lab technician how he felt, and the two were practically inseparable at this point. And then there was that exhibitionist who was too chicken to either accept or reject the nurse who threw herself at him everyday. At least Natsu finally admitted his feelings to Lucy and asked her out on a proper date. Sure, it hadn't gone as planned, but he improvised. The past six months of their relationship were going quite well. He considered himself to be a pretty romantic guy when it came to courting his best friend, so he didn't understand why those two losers were telling him he would mess it up.

 _Flame Brain is too destructive to treat a woman delicately._ _He's gonna hurt her._ True, Natsu has been known to get carried away and break equipment and maybe punch open the occasional wall when he's a little too fired up. Thankfully the Chief of Surgery, Gildarts, makes Natsu's destruction look mild. But Natsu could never hurt Lucy. When he was younger he might have had trouble being careful with people, but raising Happy from a newborn forced Natsu to learn how to be delicate. He may go overboard with inanimate objects, but he knew how to restrain himself with living creatures. Especially those he cared about.

 _Salamander is so stupid he probably doesn't even know where to stick it._ Sure, Natsu was not the most experienced guy at FTAMC, but he knew about sex. He was taught extemporaneously by older males, same as any young man. Heck, there was a certain brunette nurse who would gladly tell anyone more than they wanted to know about female pleasure. _I'm a surgeon for crying out loud_ , he thought, _I don't think I would have passed medical school without a healthy understanding of human sexuality._ He didn't understand why that pierced asshole was giving him shit for this. Just because wasn't a manwhore like Gray and Loke had been in college doesn't mean he's stupid. He just didn't understand the point in sex if there was no connection.

Speaking of a certain orange-haired oncologist, the worst of this bullshit came from Loke. The man really had no faith in the pink haired surgeon. Lisanna told Natsu she overheard Loke express to Lucy that he didn't believe Natsu could be serious enough for a real relationship. That had been back around their first date, and it seemed like his sister's death only made it worse. Loke seemed to take it upon himself to become Lucy's protector. Months later, the lion-faced playboy continued to lecture Natsu about "how to treat a woman" whenever they ran into each other. He criticized Natsu slyly with the little "lessons" he liked to dish out in the hall or cafeteria.

 _The ladies like their men to be smooth._ Natsu knew he may not be the most sophisticated man, but he had his charms. He knew how to make her smile, and how to make her laugh. Their connection was too deep to be ruined by his goofiness. They had been best friends for years. Lucy was completely comfortable with him. He didn't have to worry that he would say the wrong thing or doing the wrong action. They would always be able to laugh it off.

 _You're too childish. She's your girlfriend, not your mom._ Natsu never had a mom, so he couldn't really understand what Loke meant. As far as he knew, Lucy loved his child-like spirit. She said it was refreshing that Natsu could look at the world through the eyes of a child. She admired his purity, as if he was untainted by the strife they witnessed daily in their profession. Natsu could also be very mature and serious if he needed to. He knew what this world was like and had experienced more than his fair share of hardships. He just chose to focus on the wonder, adventure, and simplicity in life.

 _A princess deserves a knight in shining armor._ Now this was something Natsu had heard many times throughout his life but never believed. He had watched movies and read fantasy books as a kid to know the dragons were the real heroes. Noble creatures who were charged with the sacred task of watching over a beautiful treasure. Knights looked after nothing but their ego, every dragon they slayed and princess they rescued was just another conquest. Dragons wanted to preserve the beauty of the princess, to keep her pure and unharmed. Natsu would never do anything to hurt Lucy. He would protect her with his life if he needed to. He would be there for her through anything.

Natsu's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the on-call room door. His furrowed brow softened and he sat up as the door opened to reveal the compassionate blonde who haunted his mind. "Hey, I was hoping you were asleep. I wanted to surprise you." She whispered with a smile as she entered the small room, quietly closing the door behind her. It was dark, but Natsu could see she was still dressed in her silk pajama set. "I was having a bad dream and I missed you. I thought seeing you would help settle my mind so I could go back to sleep." The blonde's tone was sheepish, almost like she was afraid to admit her desire to seek his comfort for a something as small as a bad dream.

"I, uh... was having a bad dream, too." Natsu rubbed the back of his neck before reaching a hand out to grasp her wrist, pulling her onto the small bed with him.

"Did your dream also involve an anthropomorphic bull and a half-man half-horse?" Natsu wasn't surprised that her tone was completely serious. That was just his Luce. He laughed at her before bending his neck to kiss her clothed shoulder. "What? You know those kinds of things creep me out." Her body shivered.

"You're such a weirdo." Natsu shook his head at his girlfriend. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly. "But I wouldn't have it any other way. I guess I can be a bit of a weirdo too." She giggled and pushed him back to a laying position. The couple had to curl up in order to fit together on such a small bed, but they managed to find a comfortable position as sleep began ascend their bodies.

"I mean, he wasn't even like a centaur, Natsu. The creature literally had the body of a man and a human face, but then he had a horse head on top of his own head. He even had hooves. It was like a bad mascot that came to life!" Lucy yawned, still clearly bothered by her strange dream. Natsu just smiled at her concerns and kissed the back of her head. He was amazed how his every worry was wiped away by the innocence of her presence. She had a bad dream and sought him out. She drove across Magnolia to sleep next to him in a tiny twin bed. There was no more doubting that the pair was perfect for each other. Natsu smiled, closed his eyes, and pulled his arms around her tightly. Not another word was said as the couple drifted off, sleeping peacefully.

An hour or so later a loud beeping woke the pair up as Natsu was being paged for an emergency surgery. He carefully maneuvered out of the bed to find out more information, trying not to disturb her form. He slid out the door to the nurses station to find out what he was needed for before turning back to the on-call room to check on Lucy. She was curled up in a little ball. Her eyes opened as the door let more light into the room, but Natsu could see she was hardly awake. "What's the matter, Natsu?"

"It's just an appendectomy, Luce. Why don't you keep sleeping? By the time I'm done it will be time to leave. I'll wake you then." Natsu suggested.

"That sounds good. Then we can start our day off. I think I'm probably going to require more cuddling." The blonde closed her eyes and turned away from the door.

"Aye, sir."


	4. Festival

**First, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my last few chapters. You have no idea how encouraging you were to me, thank you so much. I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. I never imagined I would be getting such a response from my first attempt at fan fic. I want to apologize that it is taking me so long to finish Nalu Fluff Week. I've been dealing with eye pain associated with physiological anisocoria. If you wanna know what that is, look it up.**

 **Secondly, I would like to give all of you some insight into why I chose a hospital AU. It's true that most of what I know about people working within a hospital comes from the show Scrubs, but that is not all. Two years ago my mom had been hospitalized for months with a very rare and deadly cancer- five ring signet cell adenocarcinoma of the appendix. Don't worry, she survived and is doing great. A lot of what I write in this AU comes from my experiences associated with dealing with her cancer and various other ailments faced by my family. This chapter is inspired by a benefit I volunteered at. The money raised by that organization gave my family thousands of dollars towards my mother's medical bills. That being said, this AU, as well as Fairy Tail, is close to my heart.**

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Lucy's heart swelled when she looked out of her third story window to see thick crowds of people pouring into the parking lot below. She had been urging all of her patients and their families to come to the Fantasia Benefit Festival for weeks now. She wanted to do everything she could to get a big crowd donating to a great cause. The benefit is held every year to help cover the medical costs for patients with severe financial need. So many of her oncology patients relied, at least in part, on the money that flowed in through Fantasia. She never wanted to have a patient deny service because they could not afford treatment.

Overall, Saturdays were rather light days for Lucy. Most doctors didn't offer Saturday hours, but Lucy wanted to make herself more available to her patients. Mostly, she would just work a few hours checking up on those who were forced to spend their weekend in a hospital bed. Occasionally she would have an appointment or two with those whose busy schedule made it difficult to come in during the week. On this particular Saturday Lucy was spending time with Bisca Connell and her young daughter Asuka.

Bisca and her husband Alzack have both worked at FTAMC since they graduated from medical school. That was, until Bisca's breast cancer was discovered and she had to stop working to receive treatment. The couple had spent years pining after one another, which served to entertain anyone around them. It was impossible to deny the two were made for each other. They're both gunslinging, adrenaline-loving ER doctors. After they finally admitted their feelings and tied the knot, they ended up having a baby girl.

Asuka had always spent a lot of time at the hospital, since both her parents worked there. She had come to be loved by every staff member of Fairy Tail, who treated her like one of their own. However, since her mother had gotten sick, a place that was once filled with adventure and friendly faces had now turned sad. This last week in particular, the hospital has felt like her prison. Bisca had gone in for a mastectomy, meaning she would have to be in the hospital for almost two weeks to recover before she could be sent home. At the same time, Alzack had to continue his full time schedule. At night he and Asuka would stay with Bisca in her hospital room, returning home only a few times while she rested. This afternoon, Lucy was talking to Bisca about the amazing progress she has made in the last week while Asuka stood on her tiptoes at the window, looking down at the festivities occurring below.

"Miss Doctor Lucy..." Asuka interrupted, still peering out the window, "When does my daddy get off work?"

Lucy stood from the seat she had pulled up to Bisca's bed and joined the little girl by the window, bending down to her size. "Not for a few hours, honey. But don't you worry, we won't keep you cooped up here with so much fun happening outside!"

"That's right, Darlin'. Lucy and Natsu are gonna take you down to the carnival when they get off work in a little bit. You'll have much more fun down there." Bisca looked at her daughter with a tired smile. She couldn't help but feel bad for the little angel, being stuck in a hospital all day.

Asuka's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Mister Doctor Natsu is coming with us!?" The three-year-old clapped her hands together. "Do you think he will play dragon with me? I should grab my gun!" She took off towards a bag sitting in the corner and pulled out a toy pistol, pretending to aim. The older females watched her and giggled.

Elsewhere, Natsu was entering the staff room followed by Erza and Gray. The surgical trio had just finished up a procedure and were ready to end their shifts. Gray and Erza had been tortured all day by Natsu's pyro-manic chatter. Like every year, Natsu was in charge of the festival's fireworks, and like every year, he wouldn't stop talking about it. However, there was still one piece of information Natsu is keeping from them. This refusal didn't sit well with a certain overbearing redhead. Natsu was still running his mouth about the different chemical reactions that create the beauty of fireworks when he reached into his locker to grab out a change of clothes. Erza had somehow already changed, while Gray had only managed to strip off his pants.

"ENOUGH." Erza reached the end of patience."We don't care about any of that. Just tell me how you were able convince Makarov to let you use homemade fireworks this year."

"Well duh, I'm not gonna charge him for it. It's cheaper than that mass produced stuff. Besides, I can pull off shapes and figures they won't release to the public." Natsu offered his excuse, hoping it would satisfy the intimidating redhead. She wasn't buying it.

"That's not it. I happen to know the fireworks retailer we've used in the past would always donate products for a nice tax break. You've been trying to convince him to let you do this for years. So why would he agree now?" Erza took another step towards Natsu, sporting her famous glare.

"Listen, flamebrain. We're not letting you out of here until you tell us." Gray, who was now just down to his signature cross pendant and boxers, interjected while covering the only exit.

"Is that so, stripper? Blocking the exit won't do anything. I can get passed you any time." Natsu pulled a fist as he took a few steps towards Gray, who was in full fighting position. Erza was steaming as she wondered how she was ever put on a team with these two morons. The boys had leaped at each other and were rumbling around on the floor, fists flying. The exhausted female cleared her throat louder than one would think humanly possible. Natsu and Gray froze in terror for a minute before pulling away from each other, settling in opposite sides of the room.

"Natsu, you better tell us what you are up to before I pull out my fists." Erza spoke calmly and clearly, making Natsu pale. A smirk grew on Gray's nude body. "Also, GRAY. CLOTHES." Gray looked down before his eyes grew wide with terror, searching for his underwear.

"But Erza," Natsu whined, "It's a secret. I only told Gramps, and he liked it enough to let me use my own fire this year." His head hung down, fists clenched at his sides in defiance.

"Secret or no, you must tell us. We are your team, who can you trust if not us? Gray and I swear not to tell a soul." Erza looked pointedly over to a newly dressed Gray.

"Uh... yeah. Promise." Gray confirmed.

"Ugh. Fine. But you really can't tell anyone. It's supposed to be a surprise..." Natsu folded his arms over his chest and looked over to Erza, who eagerly awaited more information, "a surprise for Lucy."

"Lucy?" Gray asked from his lax position leaning against the wall, "What does Lucy care about fireworks?"

"I see..." Erza tapped her pointer finger on her chin in thought for a minute before gasping, eyes widening to stare at Natsu's back. He had turned to grab his clothes out of the open locker in front of him. He closed the small metal door and turned to face Gray and Erza once again, a small black box in his hand along with the folded clothing.

"I'm gonna ask Luce to marry me tonight."

"You guys didn't have to follow me up here." Natsu, now dressed casually in a black shirt and dark wash jeans, tried to shake off Erza and Gray. The two were trailing behind him as he made his way down the oncology floor to meet Lucy at her office.

"But, Natsu, you're not giving me any details!" Erza insisted in a whisper, not wanting a certain blonde to hear them.

"You guys have only been together for like ten months, isn't that kind of fast?" Gray questioned.

"Not everyone can move at your whirlwind pace there, Ice Princess." Natsu hissed back at him. "I told you what I'm doing tonight, Erza. What more is there to know? You'll see it all go down in a few hours."

Natsu stopped in front of Lucy's closed office door and knocked while Erza and Gray stared at him from a few feet away. A minute later, the door opened to reveal the blonde doctor in her street clothes, a white cotton tshirt and jean shorts. In her hands was a small blue cat.

"Happy! I missed you buddy." Natsu took his pet in his arms and stroked him gently. "Thanks for keeping him in your office for me, Luce. It's better than having to run home and pick him up for the booth later." Natsu released Happy back into Lucy's office to wait for his big performance in a few hours.

"That damn cat," Lucy had to keep herself from bubbling with anger, "I don't know how to begin to describe the hell he unleashed in my office today. It's almost like you managed to teach him pranks." Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu and pushed herself up to give him a quick kiss as he relished in her words as though they were a compliment. Placing her heels back on the ground, Lucy noticed Gray and Erza standing just a few feet from them. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she noticed their intense stare. "Hey guys," she offered cheerfully at her friends, "Are we really that funny looking?"

Erza's face blushed furiously at her own behavior. She had no idea how to behave in front of the blonde and not spill the delicious secret Natsu had just shared. Before she could say a word, Erza took off down the hall to the stairwell, leaving Gray behind. Gray paled and pushed up cool fake smile, running a hand through his hair before jutting a thumb out towards the direction Erza had just taken off in. "I, uhh... should really follow her... Later Lucy, flamebrain." Gray disappeared down the hall.

"Those two sure are acting weird." Lucy folded her arms under her chest and stared accusingly at Natsu.

"They're always like that, if you ask me," Natsu shrugged and grabbed Lucy's hand, starting towards the patient's wing, "So we gotta go pick up Asuka, right?"

"Yep, she's waiting for us to take her out to Fantasia."

"You said Bisca's doing well, right? Think she'll make it?" Natsu's tone was solemn and his body stiffened a little bit as they walked.

"Yup. I really think she will be alright. She still needs to go through another round of chemo, but it looks like she will make it. It's just a long and weary road."

"Good, we were all worried for a bit when we opened her up and found so much cancer inside her... It was a good thing Guildarts was available to come in the OR that day." The blonde stopped walking, pulling Natsu back to a halt before giving him a firm kiss on the lips, her free hand landed on his cheek.

"You did a great job, Natsu. You saved her. You save lots of people. I know you're not used to being so close to your patients, but it amazes me how far you will go to save the lives of those you love." She gave his hand a squeeze before they continued their journey down the hall.

The couple arrived at Bisca's room to find the door open and a very excited Asuka bouncing in her chair. The young girl was clutching her toy pistol as she listed off all of the festival events she wanted to attend to her mother. Natsu and Lucy entered the doorway unnoticed by the little girl, but received a wink from her worn out mother. Natsu jumped right into babysitting mode. "Oh no, Lucy, she's armed. Don't let her get me again!" Asuka's excited smile grew as she leaped out of the chair to rush Natsu.

"Mister Doctor Natsu!" The male tried to hide behind Lucy. The small brunette giggled, "You can't hide from me, you mean old dragon!"

"Luce! She's gonna get me! You have to get me away from here!" Natsu ran to hide on the other side of the doorway. Asuka followed in tow, posed to blast the dragon to smithereens. Lucy shook her head and laughed, exchanging glances with Bisca before the green haired female closed her eyes, a smile lingering on her lips.

"Alright, you two. Let's get going. There is all kinds of fun waiting for you down in the parking lot." Lucy closed the door to on her way out to let her patient sleep.

Outside the first shift of fun was in full swing. People were everywhere, enjoying the festivities. On one side of the parking lot was a stage where the FTAMC pediatric team was set up, putting on a strange performance of Peter Pan. Laxus played Peter, who was currently in a sword fight with a hook-handed Freed. Bixlow and a few of his patients from the children's wing played the lost boys, tied to what was supposed to be the mast of a pirate ship. A few other children from the hospital were playing pirates. They looked like they were having fun, bright smiles covered their faces. Evergreen was trying to free the lost boys from their captors, putting on quite a dramatic performance as Tinkerbell. A huge crowd had gathered around the stage to watch the show.

On the other side of the parking lot, near the entrance, a silent auction was set up next to a table that sold the tickets used as payment for the various activities. Natsu, Lucy, and Asuka headed in the direction of the table selling tickets, taking in the various booths set up along the way. Reedus was offering caricatures, a blonde photographer from the local paper offered his services at creating those old-western-style photo keepsakes. The next row over was filled with all kinds of kids games being ran by Lisanna, Kinana, and Laki. Past that was a food tent sponsored by the restaurant Mermaid Heel, as well as a beer garden ran by Quatro Cerberus Brewery. Between the two tents were various tables set up for eating guests to play Bingo.

"Hello Lucy... Natsu... and who is that on your back? Oh, Asuka!" The trio was greeted by senior physician, and head of the maternity ward, Macao. He and his department second-in-command Wakaba were stuck manning the ticket table all day.

"Hey old man!" Natsu chirped, causing Macao to kringe and Wakaba to laugh. "I hope Romeo is ready to help me run the firework display tonight." Macao nodded.

"Hello Mister Doctor Macao and Mister Doctor Wakaba!" Asuka kept one arm wrapped around Natsu's head as she sat on his shoulders, and moved the other hand to point her gun at the two older men who held their hands up in surrender.

"How are the ticket sales going?" Lucy chimed in.

"Really well, at this rate we'll definitely beat last year's sales before the end of the day." Wakaba answered as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Will you put that damn thing out! How many times do I have to tell you!" Macao berated his friend with the same sensitivity as always. Lucy giggled.

"He's right, Wakaba. I don't want to find you on my floor anytime soon." Lucy eyed the smoker with an Erza-esque glare. He put his cigarette out on the pavement below him and hung his head in shame.

"Give us some tickets!" Natsu screamed, stomping around in a circle with Asuka laughing on his shoulders.

"Uh-oh. We've upset the mighty dragon. Here," Lucy handed Macao a few notes of jewel and he exchanged them with a bundle of carnival tickets. The blonde turned to a fired up Natsu and Asuka, "Where to first?"

The next two hours of fun flew by. Asuka rocked the kids games, particularly the one that involved shooting a suction cup dart gun at little target. Lucy kept the small toy prizes safe in her purse to be passed on to Alzack later. Reedus drew a picture of Asuka slaying the mighty dragon Dragneel and rescuing princess Lucy. The photographer, a man named Jason, took a photo as Sheriff Connell booked famous bandits Draigon and Ashley. Lisanna offered her face painting services to turn Asuka into a bird, Lucy into a bunny, and Natsu into... you guessed it, a dragon. The last one took some creativity on her part. They also visited Juvia in the dunk tank. Natsu managed to walk up and push the dunk lever when she was too busy watching a half naked Gray fight with a silver-haired volunteer from Lamia Scale Elementary. The action only caused the wrath of the two men to be redirected to him.

The trio were enjoying the rhythm of the Cha Cha Slide by the stage at "Vjeeter's Dance Party" when Alzack found them there, whisking his little one away for some daddy-daughter fun. Natsu and Lucy knew this meant it was time to find Cana and pick up Happy to set up their booth for the evening shift of Fantasia. Gajeel would soon take the stage as the opening act for the local musician Lyra, luring festival attendees to the stage while the booths switch over.

"I can't believe they agreed to let Gajeel perform this time." Natsu groaned as they set up their mystical fortune telling booth where Jason's photography station had been. Starry fabric covered in astrological signs and constellations lined all four walls of the tent, a single slit acted as an entryway. Paper lanterns hung inside as a light source. On the floor was a short table covered with Cana's tarot card deck and surrounded by various cushions. On one cushion directly behind the table with the cards sat Happy, munching on fish. A cushion beside him was set aside for Cana. Their booth relied on Happy, who was supposed to paw at the cards and pretend to make predictions about someone's future while Cana did the real interpretation. A chair by the entry curtain was meant for Lucy, who would let the customer in. Dressed in flowy gypsy-like clothing, Lucy and Cana looked up at the sign Natsu had just hung above their booth: letters scribbled across cardboard tarot cards spelled out "Happy the Catmander".

"I ain't complaining, his voice isn't half bad." Cana replied, taking a sip from the beer in her hand. She seems to have an in with Quatro Cerberus because there was no way she could listen to Gajeel sing while sober.

"Uh, Cana, you might wanna slow down there. Remember we need quality predictions, and to keep an eye on Happy." Lucy tried not to be so controlling, but she didn't know if a drunk Cana was the best person to deal with all of their potential customers.

"Psssht, I can read the cards just fine! C'me're." Cana grabbed Lucy with her free hand and pulled her into the tent. A little scared, Lucy pulled Natsu along with her. Sitting down by the table, Cana began to shuffle through the cards before arranging them face down in front of Lucy. "Pick three cards. Past. Present. Future."

Lucy hesitated and gave a glance to Natsu. She couldn't figure out why he looked nervous. She selected three cards. Cana took them and turned them face up in front of herself, one at a time. "Let's see here... We have the chariot, your past has been full of obstacles which you have overcome to claim victory. Next is the fool, representing that your present is full of optimism and happiness." Lucy looked over to Natsu and smiled. Of course she has been happy! Natsu had brought her so much happiness in the past few months that they had been together. As for optimism, the future looks bright. Her relationship is going strong, and Bisca has shown signs of improvement. Everything was headed in a good direction.

"Last is... The empress..." Cana did a double take, looking at Lucy, Natsu, and back at the card again. "The empress symbolizes fertility, abundance, and domestic stability. This means there is marriage or pregnancy in your future!" She paused, eyes falling on the blonde. "Have something you wanna share with the rest of us, Lucy?" Cana teased.

"Yeah right! Of course those things are in the future, Cana! Those are in almost everyone's future. That's a real cheap card for a future pick. Those other two were spot on, though. Especially the happiness, right Natsu? ...Natsu?" Lucy looked around but Natsu seemed to have slipped out around the time Cana read the last card.

"The guy musta dashed out at the thought of having a kid. Can't blame him." Cana shuffled her cards again and took another swig of her beer.

"Good job, Cana. You scared him off!" Lucy stood from the cushion she had lowered herself to earlier and turned out of the tent to find Natsu. The pink haired man stood a few feet away from the tent, staring off to where Lyra was finishing a song on the stage. His eyes seemed unfocused, as if he didn't really see what he was looking at. "Natsu? Don't listen to Cana's stupid cards. You know that stuff never really comes true. I promise you, we will not have kids any time soon, alright? That kind of future is a long way away."

Natsu turned to look at his girlfriend. "Yeah, sorry. Guess I overreacted." He said with a smile. Lucy couldn't help but notice that his tone sounded a bit off. He brought her in for a hug, squeezing her tight he repeated, "You're right. That stuff never really comes true." He kissed her forehead before he pulled away. "I'm gonna go get some grub, want me to bring you something?" He turned in the direction of the Mermaid Heel tent.

"No, I'm good. I still have to set up the fog machine inside the booth. I wouldn't trust Cana to do it. She's a little too wasted to deal with anything technical. I'll see you after the fireworks, okay? They better be good this year." She waved him off.

"Oh, you have no idea, Luce." He yelled back.

When Natsu arrived at the food tent he was quickly spotted by Asuka, waving him over to sit with her and her daddy. "Mister Doctor Natsu! Over here! You can sit with us!" It was a good thing they had an extra seat available, the food area was crowded with people stopping to eat as the booths changed over. Natsu got in line and ordered himself a feast, spending nearly all of his leftover tickets on food, before making his way over to sit with his friends.

As he ate he listened to Asuka tell him about all the things she and her father did after Natsu and Lucy left to set up their booth. When she was done, it was Alzack's turn to vent to the fellow medical expert about his ER shift earlier that day. He followed that up by thanking Natsu for everything he did for Bisca during her procedure. Things were starting to look up for their small family. The concert finally ended as Natsu finished eating, people were clearing out of the dining area to go explore the new attractions that had just opened up. Natsu looked down at the table, a hand moving to his pocket. His fingers slipped in and lightly grasped the small black box that was hiding there.

"Alzack, I'm actually glad I have the chance to talk to you alone. I'm kinda nervous about something. I need advice."

"A nervous Natsu Dragneel coming to me for advice? I don't know what I would have to offer you." Alzack didn't mean to sound like he was putting himself down, but he had never known Natsu to be nervous. He couldn't believe he was the best person to come to.

"Well, you see... You're the only one... who... is married." The volume of Natsu's voice trailed down with each word, betraying his embarrassment at the subject. Although he didn't know why he was embarrassed now. His plan had always been to propose to Lucy in front of the entire Fantasia festival. "I have some questions for you."

"Natsu and Lucy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." Asuka began singing.

Alzack couldn't believe his ears. Does reckless, carefree Natsu finally wanna settle down? "Natsu... Are you thinking about marriage? To Lucy!?" Natsu quickly shushed the man.

"It's a secret, Al! Well, more like a surprise. I'm going to do it tonight." Alzack's eyes widened. "I just feel like I'm losing my nerve." In the distance the sound of Erza's vocal exercises being spoken into a mic can be heard as she prepared for her contribution- a one woman show.

"What's wrong? You love her, obviously." Alzack offered.

"I'm just... scared she will think it's too soon. We haven't been together a full year yet."

"You didn't think it was too soon to plan a proposal."

Natsu shrugged. "I've always wanted this. There was never a doubt in my mind that I want to marry her. I don't even want to consider a future without her in it. But..." He paused, collecting his thoughts, "I guess I was so caught up I didn't stop to wonder if she really wants to marry me. What if I'm being selfish by pushing this so soon?" His eyes closed as his fingers tensed around soft pink locks.

"Natsu, do you really doubt her affections for you? I think you're belittling her and yourself by entertaining the possibility that she doesn't want the same future as you. As for if it's too soon, well, I don't think so. Bisca and I spent years in love without so much as a confession. After something like that, it doesn't feel like rushing things to move at a faster pace. Your friendship is a big part of your relationship. Besides, if you ask her and she says it's too soon, wait a few months and ask her again."

"I guess you're right." Natsu released the death grip on his hair and slouched in his chair with a sigh. "We love each other, so it's not too much of a risk."

"Daddy!" The young girl was growing impatient amongst so much grown-up talk. "Let's go look at the new booths! Come on!" Asuka is on her feet now, pulling at her father's sleeve til he rose to join her. Her face turned to look at the pinkette. "Does Mister Doctor Natsu want to come walk with us?"

"Thanks for the offer, kiddo. I've got some work to do right now. I'll see you guys later, okay?" Natsu stood and tousled her hair as he made his way to get lost in the crowd.

In reality, Natsu just wanted time to clear his head of any doubts. He was sure this was what he wanted. It's what he had always wanted, ever since he had first laid eyes on that weird girl in college at Hargeon. Walking through the forest of people in the Fairy Tail parking lot, he allowed himself to get lost in his own thoughts. He could still picture the way the lecture room lights reflected upon her sunny tendrils...

The pair had sat next to each other on their first day of med school. They were taking some kind of psychology course that focused on the chemical functions of the brain. Lucy had raised her hand to ask a question, but Natsu stopped her. Clearly she had not looked on RateMyProfessor. Dr. Bora did not stand for students asking questions on the first day. A strange policy, for sure, but they witnessed his true wrath when he kicked someone out of the class for asking about the attendance policy. Lucy offered to buy Natsu lunch as a thank you for saving her from a similar fate.

Natsu has never been one to turn down a free meal. Thinking back, perhaps he shouldn't have ordered such a large meal... but Lucy hadn't said anything about it. Although, she seemed distracted with a topic of her own. She had gone on and on about her passion for medicine and her quest to save lives from the disease that had taken her mother. Natsu had lightened up the conversation with stories about his blue cat. Naturally, she refused to believe Happy was actually blue until Natsu agreed to let her meet him.

Things had gone so smoothly after that. They hung out nearly every day and it felt so natural. Soon they had formed a little group comprised of Erza, Gray, Gajeel, Levy and Loke. The friends would go on adventures on the weekends, study together for large exams, and pull pranks on one another. They were like a family. It was a miracle, really, that they were all able to get jobs together at Fairy Tail Advanced Medical Center.

Natsu knew he had liked Lucy since that first lunch, but he had been scared she could never see him as anything other than her goofy best friend. It didn't take long for the blonde to begin going on a dates. Natsu would just pretend it meant nothing to him and shrug it off, but after a while he started to silently sabotage the potential relationships. He couldn't watch her give her heart to jerks who didn't deserve it. After a few more tries, Lucy seemed to stop going on dates altogether.

When they had finally started their jobs at Fairy Tail, things had been so hectic that being friends was enough for him. Then, his father had passed away and Natsu disappeared for a while. At the funeral he had received some strange news. It turned out he had a brother that he had never met. He took off a few months to fly to Crocus and spend time getting to know his brother, Zeref, and his wife, Mavis. He found out those two had gotten into quite a bit of legal trouble in their youth, but had since settled down. Now the pair run a funeral home in the capital city. Natsu had always known he had been adopted by his father Igneel, but he knew little of his biological relatives. Zeref was able to share bits of information with Natsu about their birth parents prior to their deaths.

When Natsu returned to Magnolia, Lucy had a sad air about her. It took a few weeks of hanging out as their normal selves before she returned to her cheery state. Natsu never did find out why she had been so sad, but figured it couldn't be that strange for someone of her profession. He had been back in Magnolia for a few months when he confessed his feelings to his best friend. After watching the relationship his brother had with Mavis, Natsu finally wanted to know if he could have that with Lucy. He knew it was possible if she would give him a chance. Boy, was he right. It turned out she had been waiting for that day to come for years.

Deep down, Natsu knew Alzack was right. Being best friends for years had given them such a strong connection that things were barely touched by their change in titles. It was almost as if speaking their feelings out loud merely gave them permission to behave more intimately. They could finally act on their feelings the way they ached to in the past, no matter how small the gesture. There was no risk of anything being taken the wrong way, no fear of rejection. It was almost as if they could finally and fully be themselves. Every kiss, every touch, every word, all of it was an extension of their being that they denied themselves in the past.

Out of nowhere, a snowball knocked into Natsu's furrowed brow and the pinkette was pulled out of his thoughts. "Quit thinking so hard, squinty-eyes, it doesn't look good on ya!" Natsu turned slightly and spotted Gray calling out across the crowd of people. Gray's contribution to the benefit was a small, makeshift ice rink designed to pull in couples. Begrudgingly, he had been forced to work together with Lamia Scale kindergarten teacher Lyon, his childhood best friend-slash-rival.

"Salamander? Thinking? That doesn't sound good." A slightly dazed Natsu turned to find the second voice belonged to fellow surgeon, Gajeel. The pierced man was still sporting the fedora from his earlier performance. His back was against a tentpole belonging to "theater" where the rest of Lamia Scale was performing puppet shows. A petite bluenette was standing at his side, shadowed by the tall frames of her coworkers Jet and Droy.

"Gajeel! Maybe Natsu has a lot to think about today." Levi punctuated her sentence with a wink at Natsu before returning her attention to the stick of cotton candy in her hand. Natsu's eyes went wide in realization of what she was implying.

"Who told you?" His voice was low as he took a step towards the short lab tech, placing a hand on her free wrist and looking at her with an intense, but desperate, gaze.

"Erza couldn't keep it in anymore. Just be happy she found me and not Mira. Don't worry, though, I wouldn't dare say a word to Lu. I'm so excited for you two!" Levy showed no signs of being put off by the rowdy surgeon's actions. She removed her wrist from his grasp and continue pulling at her sugary snack.

"You don't think it's too soon, do you?" Natsu was whispering as if the blonde could appear any second, although he knew exactly where she would be for the rest of the night.

"Too soon? Nah. You guys have been in love for ever, there's nothing wrong with taking the next step when it feels right." Although Levy's words were directed at Natsu, her eyes were pointed at Gajeel, making clear the double meaning she intended to put across.

"It does feel right... Thanks Levy." Natsu turned and continued his walk through the crowd, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. Back where they stood Levy continued staring at Gajeel, whose cheeks were lightly dusted pink. Natsu could hear her giggle behind him.

Natsu had somehow managed to kill two hours wandering around, lost in thought. In the end, he felt he needed to see Lucy's face one more time before finding Romeo to step up the fireworks. Making his way back to "Happy the Catmander", Natsu noticed there was quite the queue lined up to have their fortunes read by the feline. Lucy had just stepped out of the tent, preparing to let the next customer enter, when Natsu reached out from behind her and spun her around while pulling her away from prying eyes. She let out a small scream in surprise. He was quick to cover her mouth with his own.

The flash of pink she saw before the man started kissing her was enough to assure her the lips locked with hers belonged to her boyfriend. She smiled, parting the kiss and slapping his chest with her hand. "Natsu, can't you see I'm in the middle of something!" She feigned anger and was unsurprised when her words simply met a chuckle in response. She sighed and shook her head before moving to return to her job.

"Wait, Luce." Natsu reached for her arm to stop her and spin her around. "I just wanted to stop by and say I love you before I go set up." Lucy saw his words and raised him a nice, firm kiss before an annoyed Cana interrupted, staring at the couple from around the edge of the tent.

"No fair, I'm the one doing all the work, how come you get to hook up with the customers?" Cana clearly had not slowed her drinking down at all. "C'mon, Lucy, get back to work!"

"Try not to set anything on fire, Dragneel." Lucy smirked as she turned back to the booth, resuming her duties.

"But that's the best part, Luce!" Natsu's grin stretched from ear to ear in protest.

In all honestly, Natsu's fireworks were the part of the festival Lucy looked forward to the most. Half an hour before their scheduled start, the Chief of Medicine made an announcement alerting everyone attending the festival that the booths would be closing to make room for everyone to view the firework display. After the staff had moved anything that could be quickly put away, everyone took a seat to await the much-anticipated light show. Lucy was seated on a blanket, Happy sleeping in his cage beside her. Erza, Gray, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, and Cana were seated around them. All eyes were on the open field across from the hospital.

Soft and evocative Music began to play through the stage speakers and sparks of colored light began to dance in the sky. Natsu hadn't lied when he said he had managed to concoct explosives that could form shapes unseen in mass-produced fireworks. The crowd oohed and awed as vines of roses grew in the sky. Lights mimicked stars and spelled out constellations. The most impressive by far was the portrait of an actual fire-breathing dragon. It was almost as if Natsu had managed to channel magic through chemical reactions igniting in the sky.

Songs changed, and the stories playing through the lights changed too. Greek myths and classic love stories played on the large screen of the night sky. While people didn't know what to expect of Natsu's homemade fireworks, no one could have guessed they would portrayed such mastery and intelligence. As the show entered its last leg, the vivid images began to switch to words. Well, a single word:

 _Lucy_

All of Fairy Tail's staff turned to look at the blonde. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest as the song Turning Page by Sleeping At Last started playing on the loudspeaker:

I've waited a hundred years

But I'd wait a million more for you

Nothing prepared me for

What the privilege of being yours would do

If I had only felt the warmth within your touch

If I had only seen how you smile when you blush

Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough

Well I would have known

What I was living for all along

What I've been living for

Your love is my turning page

Where only the sweetest words remain

Every kiss is a cursive line

Every touch is a redefining phrase

I surrender who I've been for who you are

For nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart

If I had only felt how it feels to be yours

Well I would have known

What I've been living for all along

What I've been living for

Though we're tethered to the story we must tell

When I saw you, well I knew we'd tell it well

With a whisper we will tame the vicious seas

Like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees

As the words were playing, the fireworks began to tell a story the blonde knew all too well. It was their story, painted across the sky in light. It told of how she and Natsu met when he saved her. Of the kindness of her gratitude, and their growing friendship. It showed him leaving her, and coming back with a mission. She'll never know how he was able to get letters of light to look like the flower petals begging, _Lucy, be mine?_ Images of them laughing, crying, and kissing flashed in front of Lucy's tearful eyes. The text returned:

 _No sooner met but they looked;_

 _No sooner looked but they loved;_

 _No sooner loved but they sighed;_

 _No sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason;_

 _No sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy;_

 _And in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage..._

The song ended and the fireworks fizzled out. Lucy sat shocked, staring at the smokey outline of the Shakespearean quote painted in the sky. The lights to the stage flashed brightly and Natsu's lone figure was now visible to the shocked crowd. Lucy turned and stared at him, unable to make any other movement. "Luce?" Natsu's voice echoed through the speakers as he spoke into the mic. "Can you come up here? I have a question for you." Lucy still stared at his mesmerizing grin until she felt Gray's hands pull her up and lead her in the direction of the stage. After a few steps she was on her own. More music began to play through the sound system. _Flightless Bird, American Mouth._

Every eye was on her as she made her way up the stairs to join Natsu. She tried her best not to get nervous. She wanted this moment to maintain it's current level of perfection. Tears slipped down her cheek steadily as Cana's tarot card reading ran through her mind. _The empress._ Every thought cleared from her head when Natsu took her hands. She held onto his as if letting go meant letting this moment slip from her grasp, as well. Her eyes refused to leave his gaze as he lowered to bended knee, free hand retrieving a small black box from his pocket.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you are the most determined, kindhearted, and beautiful woman I have ever known. This was clear from the moment I met you. I just can't bear the thought of _ever_ letting a treasure like you go. _Will you marry me?_ "

Lucy searched her mind for the best response to give him. A simple _yes_ didn't seem right. She giggled and wiped a tear from her eye. "You're such a moron." She raised Natsu to her level and kissed him with the firey passion that surged through every fiber of her being. For the second time in his life, Natsu had never been so happy to be insulted by the woman he loved.

The crowd erupted into applause. On the blanket where their little group sat, Erza was sobbing loudly onto an uncomfortable Gray's shoulders. Juvia was staring at the redhead in distaste, clearing tears from her own eyes. Levy was clapping and whistling loudly. Gajeel, however, seemed completely uninterested. Shouts of "Get a room!" escaped Cana's lips. Inside his cat carrier, Happy could be heard meowing. Of course, everyone knew what he had to say.

* * *

 **I hope I did not disappoint. Please let me know what you think with a review. Just to clarify, I do not own Fairy Tail, Peter Pan, Turning Page, Flightless Bird, American Mouth, or the quote from As You Like It. If you don't know either of the songs mentioned, I highly recommend giving them a listen.**


	5. BONUS: Wedding

Looking at herself in the mirror in the basement of the Kardia Cathedral, Lucy wished she felt happier. Today was the day she would finally marry her best friend, the only man who would do anything for her. But standing there in front of the mirror she could only feel haunted. Her white dress hugged her hips, lace sleeves began just below her shoulder and flowed down to where her wrists began. The lace was beautiful, covering her whole body like she had always dreamed. Erza had styled her hair into a classic updo. A bun sat high on the back of her head as strands in the front swooped down close to her eye, being held perfectly in place.

The wedding came together like a fantasy. Every part of the planning process had gone perfectly. Most of that was thanks to Erza and her... persistent charm. Of course, Mira's ability to wrap everyone around her finger helped, too. The hospital even fixed the scheduling to allow everyone invited to be there. It was all perfect. However, the bittersweetness Lucy felt was brought on by the thought of the few who couldn't attend.

She silently cursed herself for looking so much like her mother.

Behind her in the large room, Levy, Mira, Erza, Cana, and Wendy were chatting excitedly. They couldn't believe the day had finally come when they could witness two of their best friends get married. Lucy was just glad they were enjoying themselves. Her right hand rose to clutch the string of pearls around her neck, wishing her mother could have been the one to slip the beads around her neck. The blonde shook her head to bring her back to the moment. Unfortunately, it worked too well. The pins holding her locks to her head loosened slightly, causing strands to fall. Erza snapped to attention. She had to bite her tongue to keep from berating the bride for ruining her hard work. Instead, she silently stepped forward to fix the pins.

"You look so beautiful Lucy. Natsu won't know what hit him." Levy spoke up with a wink from behind the redhead, admiring the red bridesmaid dress she wore in a corner of the mirror. Red and black were the chosen wedding colors. It was Natsu's idea, and Lucy couldn't turn him down. She would let him have that one, knowing she would get her way with everything else. In reality, he couldn't have cared less how or when they got married. He just wanted her.

"She looks like she's glowing." Mira piped up, "Maybe soon we will have some pink haired babies!" The pale-headed receptionist was clapping her hands.

"Mira, you're getting ahead of yourself again." Erza glared at her friend as she replaced the final pin in Lucy's hair.

"I think this wedding is enough to handle for now. Anyone know how the boys are doing?" Lucy asked with a sigh, taking her friends off guard.

"Is something wrong, Lucy?" Wendy asked meekly from behind the other girls.

"No, Wen, I'm fine. I just didn't imagine a wedding would be so stressful. Maybe I should have just done what your stupid brother wanted and eloped." Lucy walked away from the mirror. She was sick of seeing her mother's face looking back at her.

"And rob yourself the joy of a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony! Sacrilege!" The scarlet haired surgeon was looking at the bride like she had two heads, maybe three.

"Don't worry Lu-Chan. Everything is going just fine. Here, I'll call Gajeel and ask how the men are doing. Levy held her phone in her hand, getting ready to dial.

"No! It's okay, Levy." The blonde cringed when she imagined what kinds of things Gajeel would have to say about Natsu preparing to wed. "I should just go see Natsu. I think seeing him would really help me calm down."

"That's bad luck!" Erza covered the exit to keep Lucy from committing one of the biggest wedding faux-pas.

"I'll check the cards." Cana pulled her deck out of a small satchel, removing several flasks in the process. Lucy waited as Cana flipped through her cards. _They had been right before_ , the blonde reasoned. "I don't see anything about bad luck..." Cana finished.

"See, Erza? It's okay. Let me go." Lucy pushed past the intimidating redhead and moved out of the door. Erza turned her gaze to the tipsy brunette.

"Really, Cana?" Erza's eyes showed no mercy. The gifted woman let her shoulders rise and fall as she downed the entire contents of a flask.

"I mean, I didn't say things looked perfect, but..." She unscrewed the cap on another bottle and took a swig, "Maybe she should expect the unexpected." Levy shook her head, Wendy's cheeks turned red with worry, and Mira just giggled. The surgeon's death glare remained unwavering.

Lucy walked up the stairs to the main level of the cathedral and made her way to the small room where the men were preparing for the ceremony. She had just under an hour until she would walk down the aisle of the chapel and marry the idiot she loved. And that idiot was the only person who could comfort her right now. She was just about to knock on the door to see Natsu when a voice stopped her. The blonde doctor turned around and was met with the second to last face she wanted to see- face of her father. The sadness she was feeling moments before switched to fury. Her blood boiled.

"Funny, I don't remember inviting you." Her words were laced with acid that burned as they met with his ear drums.

"Your aunt told me. I wanted to see you." Jude Heartfilia was standing tall in his black suit, his composure held strong against his daughter's anger. He had been wearing suits as long as she could remember, but it had been a good six years since she had seen him in one. Well, it had been a good six years since she had seen _him_.

"Really?" She would have to a long talk with Aunt Aquarius later, so long as her nerve remained strong. "See, usually when you aren't invited to someone's wedding, it's because they don't want to see you. Now if you excuse me, I wanted to have a talk with my _future husband_." She saw his body flinch ever so slightly as she stressed those words. A small smile slipped on her lips as she turned back to the room that housed her fiance.

"Can I meet him?" Lucy was surprised by the frailty of his voice. He sounded small, almost afraid of her answer. The shock didn't last long. Anger came back full force.

"So you can tell him he's not good enough for a woman of my birth? So you can lecture me about how a Heartfilia has to consider the ties she is making upon marriage? Save it. I heard all of it when I was eighteen and it means even less to me now then it did then." At some point she had taken a few steps towards him. The gap between the two was short as the blonde woman continued to unleash her vitriolic words. She didn't notice the door she had been standing in front of was now open and a small group of men were staring at her. A hand on her shoulder brought her eyes out of the red.

"Luce?" Natsu had heard enough to piece together some of the situation, but he didn't want her to do anything she would regret on her wedding day. The blonde's neck jerked harshly to look back at him. Her expression softened upon seeing the man she was about to marry in his tuxedo and red vest.

"Natsu..." was all the blonde managed to breathe out.

"Ah, Natsu," Jude stepped away from his daughter and extended a hand out to the pink-haired man, "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Jude Heartfilia."

"Yeah, I know who you are." Natsu took the blond man's hand, but his voice offered no warmth. "I'd thank you not to go upsetting my bride on our wedding day. If you have something you wanted to say, please say it and leave." Lucy had once told him of the neglect and harsh treatment she had received from her father after her mother's death. She worked so hard to get away from him. The scholarships she had earned took her to college, and then to Hargeon Medical. Her decisions were not handled well by the older man. After an incident during med school, she vowed never to see the man again.

Now, that man was standing in front of Lucy on her wedding day, effectively ruining any hope she had of being comforted.

Jude's brow furrowed for a moment after he had heard Natsu's words. They softened again when he returned his gaze to Lucy's fuming frame. For a moment he was lost. "You're the spitting image of your mother." The words left his mouth as quickly as his brain could register them. Lucy closed her eyes, fists clenching as she turned away from her father. His eyes never left her. "Can I speak to her alone for a moment?" Jude directed his question at Natsu. The pinkette hesitated.

"Fine, but I'm going to wait just outside the door. If I hear a either of you raise your voice just once, I won't hesitate to come in." Natsu shooed all the men out of the room he had just been in and let Jude inside. The bride hadn't moved. "Lucy," She let a bit of tension fall away at the sound of his voice directed at her, "I will be right outside. If you need anything, just call for me. You don't have to speak to him if you don't want to, but just hear him out, okay?" He kissed her head and led her inside the room where her father waited. The door closed most of the way, leaving only a crack so she would know Natsu was listening for her.

Now alone, Jude began to address his daughter. "Lucy." He tried to take a step towards her, reaching to place a hand on her arm, but she jerked away and turned her head away from him. "Alright, I deserve that." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I will admit I don't deserve to have you speak to me, let alone your forgiveness. But I'm here to ask for it, nonetheless." The blonde's eyes fell to the floor. He continued, "I handled everything so badly. I thought I was protecting you by keeping you in a bubble of my control." He paused again, closing his eyes. "I thought I could protect you... because I couldn't protect her.

"After we lost your mother I couldn't handle much of anything. I threw myself into my work because it was the only thing I understood." Jude walked over to the window and stared out into the sky, hands coming together behind his back. Lucy lifted her gave to watch him. "At the same time, I was terrified of losing you. That's why I did everything I could to shut you out from the world. The homeschooling, the curfew, the strictly scheduled life- I was trying to prevent you from leaving me the way she did."

His shoulders slumped as his hands fell to rest on the windowsill. His head hung low. "After a while, I grew angry that you were so much like your mother. Pushing the business at you was my attempt to make you more like me. I tried to force you into my world. I was too late though, I had already lost you. All of my efforts had made things worse. You had other plans and I refused to listen to them."

Jude turned back around to look Lucy square in the eyes, "I was too stupid and angry to realize the incredibly kind and noble thing you were doing by committing your life to helping prevent people from reaching the same fate as your mother. You honored her memory and her life while I did nothing but desecrate it. After the last time we saw each other, I wracked my brain to figure out how I lost you, too. It took five years worth of these thoughts to realize the absolute human scum I had become. I had to change. I had to do better for you... for your mom... for myself." Jude could sense Lucy dropping her guard, ever so slightly. He stepped toward her and took her hands. She allowed him, but kept her eyes at the floor.

"I sold Heartfilia Konzern." Her eyes rose to look at him with shock and confusion. "I sold the mansion. I sold all the other properties. Everything. I bought a small apartment in Acalypha and started working at the company where your mother and I met. I gave away all the money." He dropped her hands, and turned away for a moment. "I donated all of it to your Fantasia festival. I figured you could do better work with it than I ever did." He turned towards her slightly, watching tears well up in her eyes. "It was there that I witnessed a pink-haired man propose to my little girl. My Lucy. The young woman who I had treated so poorly. And she was happy. I hadn't seen you happy like that since..." His gaze fell and his eyes closed for a moment.

"After that night eight months ago, I thought about calling you. I couldn't work up the courage. I didn't deserve to talk to you. I didn't deserve to see you happy or be a part of your life. Then Aquarius mentioned she had been invited to your wedding and I begged her to tell me when it was. I didn't plan to talk to you. I thought maybe I had earned myself one glance at my little girl on her wedding day. But then there you were in front of me and I couldn't help myself. You look just like your mother. I took it as a sign. Proof that she would forever live on through you. You carry her face as well as her spirit." He felt Lucy wrap her small arms around him. She sobbed onto his chest.

"I finally understand, Lucy." Jude whispered into the ears of his only child, "I finally understand what you were trying to tell me all of those years ago. Money can't buy happiness. Money can't buy love. You have to work for those things." He pulled his arms tightly around her. "I'm so sorry Lucy. I'm so sorry I had to learn this the hard way. I'm sorry I had to risk losing my only daughter. I'm sorry you had to lose both your parents. But I promise you everything will be different now."

"Dad..." Lucy stepped away and wiped the tears from her face. She didn't know what to say. He had to learn things the hard way, but he understood now. Did that mean she could forgive him so easily? He had given up everything he had worked for his entire life. He gave away all the money he used to treasure more than her. At least, that's what he said. Could she trust him? _You carry her face as well as her spirit._ Her mother had always been so kind and forgiving.

"I-I need more time." She stuttered slightly. "I need to see that you've changed with my own eyes." Jude nodded. He fully understood that forgiveness was not something she could give easily. "But you can stay." His eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe his ears. "You can see your little girl get married. You can walk her down the aisle. You can observe and accept the life I've made for myself. You can mingle with guests, meet my friends, and talk to my husband. I'm giving you a chance to be a real father. So you better not make me regret it."

Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and Zeref stood behind the doors leading to the main chapel. "This is it." Gray whispered as he pat Natsu on the back. The music started up. The song Lucy had chosen was pretty long, so the men waited for their cue to begin their way to the altar. The drums began rolling and Natsu felt his feet carry him down the lane between the rows of seats. Looking around, he couldn't help but smile. Everyone he cared about was in this room. He reached his place as the melody began to calm. The calm shifted after a few measures, cueing for Asuka to come dancing down the aisle, tossing flower petals everywhere. In one hand was a leash harnessed to a blue feline. Happy's back carried a small pillow storing two wedding bands.

Another shift in the song and Wendy made her way to the altar. Natsu's smile grew, seeing his little sister in her bridesmaid dress. She met his eyes and flashed him the largest smile she could muster. The young girl was followed by a stumbling Cana, then a graceful Mira. Natsu was surprised by how perfectly every movement was timed by the song. Erza followed Mira in suit. A humble smile painted her face, but her expression changed to send a murderous warning to the groom. Levy was beaming happily as the made her way to join the rest of the females.

Music calmed and piano danced. Natsu was getting impatient for a glimpse of his future wife. The doors opened wide to display the woman most precious to him standing beside her father. She had never been more beautiful. He felt time slow and his heart speed up. The guests on either side rose to look up at her. Natsu noticed her smile grow as she took in the sight of the chapel before her. Their eyes met and refused to lose each other. The music crescendoed as Jude and Lucy made their way to the altar to join Natsu. The light sound of the guitar strings faded out as they stood to face one another, memorizing this moment like their lives depended on it.

The ceremony began: Jude spoke to give his daughter away. The priest began to speak about the joys and sorrows of love. Natsu's hands found Lucy's and held on tight. The pair spoke their vows. Lucy recounted how it felt to fall in love with her best friend, and how she would work her whole life to repay the kindness and devotion he had shown her. Natsu's words were much more raw, but just as sweet. He swore to protect her, keep her safe, and destroy anyone who made her cry. He rose a hand to cup her face, adding, "It's always more fun when we're together."

Not a dry eye remained as Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia promised to take each other... to love and to cherish, to have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health...

For as long as they both shall live.

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 **Totally forgot to add this note because I was so excited to post this chapter. So, I felt like you guys deserved to get a taste of their wedding, so I decided to do this bonus prompt. If you would like to know, I imagine Lucy and Natsu walking down the aisle to Your Hand in Mine by Explosions in the Sky. It is an incredibly beautiful instrumental. Anyway, please let me know what you think of this chapter. Soon I will post Day 5: Matching. Prepare for a ton of Fairy Tail's crazy antics.**


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